Squeak-preventer for shoes.



I. L. KEITH.

SQUEAK PREVENIER FOR SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 191a.

1,@75,039, Patented 001311913.

. l I I I I WZ/aesses: ,Zizverator;

comma PLANOOIMPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c

pivirsp sta ns IRVING L. KEITH; or ma Earner, Massachusetts;

soUEAK-rnnvENTnn' Fort snons.

s e'cificatitmr Letters farm:

' Patented Got. 7,1913.

Application filedMay '7, 1 9131 SeriaIYNQYGQIOI.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRVING L. Kin-1TH, a' citizen of the United States,residing at Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have in-vented'anlmprovement in Squeak-Preventers forShoes, ofwhich the following isaspecification.

It is a well-known fact that squeaking of shoes is usually caused by therubbing. together of two portionsof the shoe'bott'om o'r' sole whenbent, and, to prevent this, it has been common practice to place varioussubstances, such as'tarred' felt, powdered chalk or talc bet-ween theparts which are likely to rub together. While a powder, such as powderedtalc, is perfectly eif'ective in" preventing squeaking, when properlyapplied, as a practical matter, itis extremely difficult, in theordinary process of shoe manufacture, to place it between the parts inthe position desired, and in such a manner as to perform its intendedfunction.

It is customary, in the manufacture of many shoes, to reinforce theouter sole by cementing a tap t'o'the'inn'er side of the sole, beforethe sole is attached tothe upper, the usual method being to apply acoating of cement over the entire surface of the sole fore-part, thenplace the tap thereon and' press them firmly together until the cementhas set. However securely the tap and sole may be held together'bycement, when the shoe is worn, the constant strain due to the bending ofthe sole usually causes'the cement to give way, so that the tapand solewill rub on each other, causing the shoe to squeak. It is verydifficult, and practically useless, when employing this process ofcementing taps to soles, to place a powder between the sole and tap atthis time, for various reasons. If a suitable quantity of the powderwere placed on either the sole or tap it would be liable to spread overthe surface thereof and prevent them from adhering one to the other, andwhen the freshly cemented soles were placed in a stack and compressed,they would be liable to slip out-of position. Moreover, the fresh cementwould cause the powder to adhere to the cemented piece, so that thepowder would be prevented from later working into the spaces where theparts rub on each other, and, in order that the powder may be effectivein preventing squeaking, it must be free to work into any space whichmay be formed by the separation of the parts. It is not practical to usetarred felt ;between a tap and sole for various reasons, principallybecause it is so thick that a piece the middle portion of the sole would"preventthe tap and sole from adhering at their edges when pressedtogether. It is also expensive and. inconvenient to use in otherrelations.

The object of my invention isto provide means, whereby a powder, such aspowdered talc, may be effectively employed between the different partsof the shoe to prevent squeaking thereof, and may be conveniently placedbetween a tap and an outer sole, before they are cementedtogether,-without materially increasing the cost of manufacture,-; orpreventing the complete closing of the joint between the tap and sole,at the edges, and without being affected by the fresh cement which isemployed, when it is inserted, so that it will thereafter be free tobecome distributed over the entire surface portions which may rub oneach other. I accomplish thisobject by providing a suit-' able quantityof the powder, which is commonly used to prevent squeaking, and placingt=he same in an envelop'of very thin, easily frangible material, astissue paper, or gauze, the packet tliusformed being placed, at the timethe shoe isbeingmade, between the parts which would rub together, sothat from the cement, which may be used to cause these parts to adhere,and when the shoe is worn, or the sole is bent, the envelop will breakor be disrupted and the powder will work out or sift out into the spacesbetween the parts which would otherwise rub on each other.

Various embodiments of my invention are possible, some of which areshown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of asole illustrating an application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a similarview showing a slight modification. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailsectional view of a sole and tap provided with my invention. Fig. 4 is'aperspective view of a form of packet which I preferably employ. Fig. 5is a plan view illustrating the manner in which the packet may be brokenopen.

According to my invention 1 provide an envelop a, which is preferably ofa thin tissue paper, and which is, to an extent, impervious to cement,and, place therein a quantity of powdered talc, chalk or similarmaterial 6.

the powder will be'prot'ectedby the envelop In the process of cementinga tap toan outer sole, for example, a coating of cement is usuallyapplied to the outer sole 0 throughout its entire fore-part, and then,to incorporate my invention, the envelop 64 containing the powder, whichhas preferably been sealed therein, so that the powder will not bespilled, is placed in the middle of the fore-part, or approximatelyopposite the ball of the foot, which is the point at which the sole isbent to the greatest extent and is, therefore, the point atwhichsqueaking is most likely to occur. The packet is of materially less sizethan the size of the sole, so that there will be a wide space betweenthe edges of the packet and the edge of the sole. The tap will then beplaced in position on the sole and the parts will be pressed together,so that the surfaces about the packet will be caused to adhere. As thepacket is very thin and flat, the amount of powder which it is necessaryto use being very small, it will not interfere with the pressing of theedge portion of the sole and tap together. That is, the package is sothin that its pressure is not in any degree noticeable and its use doesnot in any way detract from the value of the shoe. After the tap andsole have been sewed to the upper and the shoe is worn, so that the solewill be bent, the envelop will immediately be ruptured, as indicated inFig. 5, permitting the powder to work out between the tap and sole andinto any space where they may happen to become separated, and in thisway it will prevent any squeaking when the sole is bent. While the useof this frangible powder packet, in the particular relation abovereferred to, is particularly desir-able, it may also be used toadvantage in other portions of the shoe, where there is any liabilitythat the parts will rub together so as to squeak; for example, it may bedesirable to use the same in the shank ofthe shoe, as indicated by thepacket 0 in Fig. 2, or between an inner sole and outer sole, as well asbetween a tap and outer sole.

The particular form of envelop is not essential, as it may be made invarious forms, and of various different materials, without departingfrom the spirit and scope of my invention, 71. 6., may be made intriangular, or oblong form, as shown, or any other form which is bestadapted for the particular part of: theshoe in which it is to be placed.

I claim 1. In combination with two portions of a 'shoe having engagingsurfaces, a frangible envelop disposed between said surfaces and havinga powder therein adapted to pre vent rubbing contact of said surfaceswhen liberated from the envelop, substantially as described.

2. In combination with two sole-portions of a shoe arranged one directlyon the other, a flat, frangible envelop, of relatively small area tothat of said sole portions, arranged therebetween in the middle portionthereof, said envelop having a suitable quantity of squealrpreventingpowdertherein adapted to be liberated from the envelop when ruptured,substantially as described.

3. In combination with two superimposed, contacting sole-portions of ashoe, an envelop disposed between said portions, having asqueak-preventing powder therein, and adapted to permit the powder toescape therefrom when said sole portions are bent, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IRVING L. KEITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, I

